Elliott now faces acid test

When Gordon Elliott heard that Michael O’Leary was pulling the plug on the enormously successful Gigginstown House Stud operation, he’d have been forgiven for immediately checking if it was April 1.

Sadly, for Elliott, and so many others, it was the middle of May and this was no joke, with O’Leary revealing he is poised to end about a 20-year love affair with owning horses.